Forests cover 31% of the world’s total land area, and provide renewable resources that are increasingly being harvested to meet human needs. In most forest landscapes, understory communities play a vital role on soil and ecosystem functions. In recent years, members of the Soil Sciences and Terrestrial Biogeosciences communities have made exciting new advances on understanding the causes and consequences of understory community composition. As we progressively learn more, we come to realize the importance of forest understories in the context of climate change and human activities.
The proposed session welcomes submissions from all aspects of research dealing with the role of forest understory communities in the context of (1) forest nutrient cycling, (2) ecological succession, (3) invasive species, (4) herbivory, (5) silviculture, (6) natural and anthropogenic disturbances, (7) gap dynamics, (8) climate change, etc. The session is expected to attract a broad international participation, and is intended to foster scientific interactions and collaborations among individuals and established research networks.
We look forward to meeting you!